Mad Men: AMC Series Renewed for Season Five But Details Unclear

by Trevor Kimball, January 11, 2011

Though the cable channel has yet to issue an official press release, it was confirmed at the TCA press tour that AMC’s Mad Men will return for a fifth season. AMC president Joel Stillerman said, “Mad Men is definitely coming back for season five, but don’t ask me when, because we’re not sure yet.” Like the previous four seasons, it will be made up of 13 installments. The last few seasons have kicked off mid-Summer but this one could certainly be delayed.

Mad Men’s producer, Lionsgate Television, and series creator Matthew Weiner have yet to make a new deal to continue the series. Last time, negotiations with Weiner dragged on for quite awhile and closed days after Mad Men was named best drama series for the third year in a row at The Golden Globes.

Another potential sticking point is that options on the cast were reportedly going to expire at the end of 2010. Word was that Lionsgate intended to exercise the options before they ran out but there hasn’t been confirmation of that or if everybody agreed to return.

So, AMC is committed to Mad Men returning for season five. It remains to be seen if Weiner and everyone in the cast will be along for the ride.

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The problem is that the longer a show is on, the more expensive it becomes. Production costs increase along with salaries. I hope the show continues, but there may only be so much a channel like AMC is prepared to pay.